Phils Unable To Push 'Em Home, Lose Game 3

Wasted opportunities resulted in a game three loss, as the Phillies fell to the Brewers, 4-1. The series is now 2-1 in the Phils favor, leading to a Joe Blanton-Jeff Suppan match Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.

Things didn’t look good from the beginning. Jamie Moyer tried to hit his spots, but whether it was a small strike zone or off-the-mark pitching, Moyer couldn’t get it done. He only surrendered two runs, but his early exit signaled a four-inning bullpen run, and Milwaukee got quick life so they could settle in and keep the Phils down.

And boy were the Phils down. Our old friend the RISP crept in, and the Phils only plated one run despite leading off three innings with extra-base hits. That’s unacceptable, especially against Dave Bush and Co. That’s not to say Bush is bad — on the contrary, the righty pitched very well, mixing his stuff and keeping fastball hitters such as Jayson Werth and Pat Burrell off balance.

And that’s another big problem. Werth and Burrell, among others, looked poor out there. Werth had the triple (that probably could’ve been a Corey Hart catch) and a double (off Eric Gagne), but overall, they were easy strikeout targets. Add to that myriad fly outs, and it was easy to see the Phils were pressing, trying valiantly to end the series. When the Phils got something going — in the ninth — Pedro Feliz swung at the first pitch and grounded into a double play with the bases loaded and nobody out. Dumb, dumb baseball.

Most critics, experts, etc., said the Phils would win in four. And here we are ready to play game four, yet I don’t feel particularly confident. I have faith, but I have doubt. Oh, the doubt.